Door-operating mechanism for gondola cars.



. DUDES.

DOOR PERATING MECHANISM FR GGNDL GAB-S.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 3, 1905.

2 slasmwsmm 1 AFL PATENTE) MAY '7, l97.

E. I., DODDs DOGR OPERATING MEGHAMSM FDR GGNDL GARS.

APPLICATION FILED APE. 3, 1905.

2 SHEBTS--SEEET the, doors are released and allowed'to open -ETHAN r. noires, or, PULLMAN, ILLrNors, Assienony COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. l

' Doon-oPEsm-me meel-Amena Fos efoNDoLA CARS.

Specication of Letters Patent.y

i Patented May 7,1907.

Application filed April 3, 1905. Serial No. 253,412.

The object ol' my invention is to provide an .improved door-operating mechanism for cars, particularly those of the gondola type. As 1s well known, these cars are provided with downwardly swinging hinged hoor-sections or doors constituting unitedly the bottom' of the car; and hither to various devices have been .proposed and employed for effecting the return of the-doors tov closed posi tion after the discharge of the load wherein under their own gravity and that of the load.

More particularly, my invention aims to provide a door-operating mechanism that is economical to' construct, ellicient in operation, and readily accessible ior repair when it is in any way injured or broken. Tofthis end my invention consists in a door-operating mechanism for cars oi' the type referred to having the peculiarities of construction and novel mode oi operation substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying Vdrawing I have shown so much of a steel gondola car as is esi-.sential to the disclosure and clear underelevational view oi' a portion of said car Fig. 3 is a top plan view oi one sectionl oil the `iioor; Fig. 4 isa side elevation of a portion of a car embodying my "invention, Iig. 5 is a vertical section showing a part of the doors V and their actuating mechanism; Fig. 'o is a side elevation of a'portion ol'a car illustrating the embodiment of a modiiied'form of my invention; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating the modification shown in Fig. 6 and Fig.` S is a partial cross section sition, in which position the rollers 8a, restshowing one of the cross-bearers inthe car illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

"Referring `to thed1'awings, 1 designates spaced channel center sills, which, in cars of this type, usually accommodate the drawbafr and constitute the draft sills as well.

2 designates the side plates and 3 the end plates oi' the car-body, while the reference 'To THE PULLMAN characters 4 are applied to transoms secured to and extending outwardly from the center sills l iiush with the side plates 2 of the carbody. These transoms, which may be made from an I-beam or a pair of'channels, or any suitable pressed member, are characterized by the presence on their lower edges of laterally-extended ii'anges 5, vwhich are vertically oii'set substantially midw of their length on a gradual curve, as sl Si. at 5a (Fig. 1).

6 designates cachot series of hinged doors or plates constituting thoseportions oi the iloor of the car lying between the transoms 4; these doors, as herein shown, prefer ably consisting of pressed lsteel plates having depending flanges a at the ends and along their outer edges'. To operate these doors, i provide at each side of the car, beneath each door, a rod 7 extending from one transomto the next, and on each end of these rods are mounted a pair of rollers 8 and 8a, the edge of the downwardly turned ilange of the door resting upon the former, while the latter rolls on the flange 5, 5 of the adjacent transom or cross-bearer. 'lo each of the door-operating rods 7 is connected a bifurcated arm 9, to the outer end of which is pivotally connected a straight link l0, which,

in turn, is connected by a short, curved link handle 16, or other suitable operating means..

In operation, when the door is open or dropped, the parts occupy the relative positions shown on the right hand side of Fig. 1. To close the door the shaft 11i-is turned so as to swing the arm 13 upwardly slightly be' IOO upwardly over the lower flanges oi' the tran#l soms, and. thereby, .by 'means of rollers 8, raises the door 6 to horizontal or closed poing upon the elevated outer portions of the A transom flanges support the door through the rod 7 and rollers 8, said mechanism being automatically locked in the relative positionsl shown at the left in Fig` 1 through the engagement of the curved link il. with the shaft ld. sary only to turn the shaft 14- in the opposite direction so as to throw the arm 13 outwardly and downwardly, which action 'forces the rollers 8 inwardly of the transoins, thereby allowing the door to drop as said rollers descend the inclines 5'1.

ln some cases it may be desirable to employ only a single rod or shaft instead of the number of rods '7 on one 'side of the car, and to accommodate such a shaft 7, as shown in Figs. 6,'7, and S, l slot the intermediate c1ross-bearers or flying transoms 1,7 on angine oline 17, at the same time providing""thelu shaft with rollers 8 and St, asin the construe tion described ahove. ln cars of this type, the operating shaft 14 may be connected to 'the shalt or rod 7l1L at two or more places, as seems desirable. The o )eration of this modiiication will be clearly apparent from what has heenI set 'forth above. l

This patent is intended to einbraceonly so much. of the' disclosure made herein'as is covered by the vfollowing claims.

l claim: l

l. A door operating mechanism for dropbottom cars having a hinged Hoor section, comprising tracks beneath the car body, a rod, rollers on said rod adapted to travel on said tracks, one or more other rollers on said. rod engaging said hinged floor-section, oper-l ating means to move said rod and rollers to ward and 'from the hinges of said floor-section whereby to lower and raise said floorsection, substantially as described.

2. A door operating mechanism for dropbottom cars having a floor-section hinged loi'igitudinally of the car, comprising trans- .verse tracks beneath the car body, a rod,

rollers on`said rod ada ted to travel on said tracks, one or more other-rollers on said rod engaging said hinged floor-section, and operating mcans to move said rod and rollers in wardly and outwardly relative to the sides of Ibottom car having ahinged licor-section,

Conversely, to .open the door it is neces- I rollers on said rod engaging said' hinged licorsection, and operating means to move said rod and rollers 'inwardly and outwardly rela- .tive to'tliesides of the car thereby lowering and raising said floor-section, substantially as described. A

f 6. A door operating mechanism for a dropbottom carr having a hinged floor-section, comprising transoms-having lianges, a rod,

f rollers on said rod' adapted to travel -on the flanges of said transoms, other rollers on said rod engaging said hinged iloorfsection, an operating shaft'inounted adjacent to the side wall of the car, and means connecting said operating shaft with said rod including an arm on said shaft and one or more links, substantially as described.

7.v ln a railway dumpingcar, the combina tion of a car-body having a hinged floor-section, side posts or stakes provided with projecting 'flanges or legs, an operating shaft rotatahly mounted in said flanges or legs, transoms having inclined lianges, a rod, rollers on said rod adapted to travel on said flanges, other rollers on said rod engaging said hinged loor-section, and means connecting said operating shaft and rod including an `arm s ecured to said shaft and one o r more links,

Asubstantially as described.

8. ln a railway dum ing car, the comhination of a metallic carody having a hinged floor-section, sideposts orstakes provided with projecting -[langes or legs, an operating shaft rotatably mounted in said-ilanges or legs, transoms having inclined flanges', a rod, rollers on said rod mounted to travel on said transom flanges, other rollers on said rod engaging said hinged licor-section, an arm secured to said operating shaft, and one or more links connecting said arm with' said rod, one of said links being curved and adapted to hook over said operating shaft'to retain said floor-section in ,closed position, substantially as described. 1

llVitnesses: v

SAMUEL N. POND, Financieren C. GOODWIN.

ynissanv i. Donne. v 

